


Red Thread of Fate

by yami (blind_man_sun)



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who: Eighth Doctor Adventures - Various Authors
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-16
Updated: 2015-04-16
Packaged: 2018-03-23 05:06:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3755539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blind_man_sun/pseuds/yami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not really a marriage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red Thread of Fate

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StevetheIcecube](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StevetheIcecube/gifts).



> Drabble request :^)

“I must thank you again for saving our planet,” the king said solemnly, bowing so deeply that his long blue beard brushed the ground.

“Oh, it was no problem, really.” The Doctor beamed back at him, bouncing slightly on the soles of their feet. “It’s sort of our job – saving the day and all that.”

“Tell me about it,” Fitz muttered from behind them, and the Doctor elbowed him sharply in the ribs. The king raised one of his several eyebrows but made no comment.

“Well, we’d best be off then!” the Doctor said brightly, ushering their companions down from the raised dais. “It was lovely staying here on your world. The damage from the bomb should be easily cleaned up, I hope.”

“Wait!” The king cried, raising a hand. The Doctor paused, swiveling on one foot to face him. “Before you leave, I would like to invite you to participate in a ceremony used to honor our heroes.”

“Really-“ The Doctor said, flustered. “I’m no hero. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

“Aw, come off it, Doc.” Fitz nudged him. “You saved the bloody planet, you deserve some recognition.”

“I didn’t do it alone – you and Anji helped…”

“I spent two days babysitting a chicken, Doctor.” Anji broke in exasperatedly. “Trust me, it was mostly you.”

“Oh…” The Doctor hesitated for a bit longer. They didn’t want to be rude, and really, what could it hurt? “I’d he honored. May my friends come with?”

“I am sorry, but custom dictates that the ceremony be limited to two at a time.”

The Doctor turned back to his companions. “Take Fitz,” Anji said quickly. “I want to go and relax in the TARDIS.”

“Oh.” Fitz blinked. “Sure. I’m never one to turn down a party.”

“Fitz, I don’t think it’s-“

“Excellent!” The king interrupted, clapping his hands together with a smile. “I will begin the preparations for the marriage!”

Fitz turned pale. “The what?”

-

“Would you stop laughing already?” Fitz snapped crossly at Anji, who was collapsed in a fit of giggles in the corner.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped out, wiping at her eyes. “I can’t help it. The look on your face!”

Fitz glowered at her a bit more before turning to the Doctor. “This is why you make sure what you’re agreeing to beforehand, Doctor!”

“I was hardly expecting that!” The Doctor argued back. At least he had the decency to look apologetic.

“Can’t you back out of it?” Fitz asked desperately. “Say you’ve changed your mind or something, I don’t know.”

“That would hardly be very polite.” The Doctor frowned at him. “It’s a very high honor, being offered this.”

“But I don’t wanna get married,” he whined. Anji started laughing harder and Fitz pointedly ignored her. “Please?”

“It’s not really a marriage ceremony. It’s a…” The Doctor lifted their hands to demonstrate, then stared at them with a frown, thinking. “Symbolic representation of the binding of two souls.”

“That still sounds like marriage!” Fitz flopped down on one of the couches in the waiting room they’d been shown into with a groan, covering his hands with his face. “Why does this happen to me?”

“There, there,” Anji patted his shoulder consolingly. “You have to admit, there are worse people to get married to then the Doctor.”

Fitz shot her a venomous glare. “You marry them, then,” he muttered.

“No thanks,” Anji said sweetly. “I’m not the one with a huge crush on the Doctor.”

He glowered at her, painfully aware that any protests he made would be undermined by the fact that his face had just gone bright red. Fitz settled for crossing his arms, turning away sulkily. Anji burst out into more giggles.

The Doctor thankfully hadn’t seemed to have heard their conversation. They had wandered away to look at a painting on the far wall, hands clasped behind their back. Fitz wondered how they could be so bloody calm about this when he was practically dying over here. “Seriously, Doctor,” he called. “Are you really going to go through with this?”

“If you’re absolutely set against it, I can try and talk to the king.” The Doctor had wandered back to the couch. “Is it really that awful a though, being married to me?” They asked softly, looking at him sadly. Anji, who had by now ceased laughing, tactfully got off the couch and went to look at the painting the Doctor had just left.

“I-“ Fitz’s mouth went dry as he stared up at the Doctor. Yes, because I’m ridiculously, hopelessly in love with you, you bloody alien git, and I’m scared of messing everything up. “No.”

The Doctor’s face lit up in a dazzling smile that would’ve made Fitz a little weak-kneed if he hadn’t already been sitting down. “I’m glad. If it makes you feel better,” they added, “the ceremony is only binding to this planet, and we can forget it ever happened after today. If you want.”

Fitz was about to reply when the door to the waiting room opened and a court official swept in. “If you two would please follow me?”

“OF course,” the Doctor said instantly, turning to him and holding out their hand. “Coming, Fitz?”

“Yeah,” Fitz said nervously, taking the proffered hand and ignoring Anji’s knowing smile. It’s not really a marriage, he told himself as he stood up. It’s not. It’ll be fine.

 

“I’ll just wait out here then,” Anji called as they left.

 

-

“I feel ridiculous,” Fitz complained, fiddling with the lose robes they’d been given to wear. They were standing alone in front of a pair of elaborately carved doors, waiting to be admitted to what the king had called the Innermost Chamber of Confession. The Doctor had found the name to be particularly soapy, but hadn’t felt the need to express that thought.

“I think you look very nice,” they said reassuringly.

“Really?” Fitz looked taken aback and the Doctor noticed the tips of his ears turn a bit pink.

“Really.” The Doctor smiled, charmed by his bashfulness.

“Oh. Thanks,” Fitz said awkwardly, face flushing as he looked away. “You too,” he muttered. The doors swung open suddenly, and he glanced sideways at them. “I take it that’s our cue to enter.” They could hear the nervousness in his voice.

“So it seems.” The Doctor walked forward into the room, Fitz following hesitantly. The doors slammed shut behind them and Fitz jumped a bit, startled.

The room was square and small, the walls barely five feet on either side. It was empty except for a pile of cushions and a wooden box in the middle of the room.

“I was kinda expecting something larger,” Fitz said into the silence. “Isn’t there supposed to be a – a priest or something?”

“Fitz, they went over this while we were dressing.” The Doctor frowned at him. “Weren’t you listening?”

“I was too busy freaking out so no, not really.”

“The binding ceremony is a very private thing,” the Doctor explained as they wandered over to the cushions and sat down. “It’s conducted in a manner the two participants feel most comfortable with.”

“I don’t feel very comfortable,” Fitz muttered, as he sat down across from them.

“If you don’t want to go through this, we don’t have to,” the Doctor said earnestly, leaning forward slightly. “We can just pretend it happened. I want you to be happy.”

“No, I-“ Fitz blurted, then paused and looked down, blushing furiously. “I kinda…I want to.” He said quietly, toying with the sleeve of the robe. “I’m just- I mean, it’s easy enough for you. You’ve been married before.”

“This isn’t-“

“Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s not really a marriage or whatever. Still.” Fitz bit his lip and looked away. “I’m scared. I don’t want this to ruin anything.”

“Fitz.” The Doctor reached out and placed a hand on the side of his face, turning his head towards them. His skin was warm, stubble rough beneath their palm. Fitz’s eyes were wide, a lovely soft gray, and the Doctor heard him make a small surprised gasp as they leaned in and kissed him, gently. Fitz went stiff at first, shocked, but then the Doctor felt him relax. Melt, almost.

“You’re important to me,” the Doctor said quietly after the kiss ended, leaving their hand where it was. “Nothing will ever change that. Okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Fitz said shakily, looking more than a little dazed. “Okay.”

“Good.“ The Doctor smiled, stretching a bit to kiss him on the forehead. Then they dropped their hand and picked up the box.

“What’s in that, then?”

“This.” The Doctor lifted the lid, revealing a coil of red thread resting on the bottom. “Apparently we’re meant to wrap it around our wrists.”

“It’s a bit like that legend, isn’t it? The red string of fate, or something.”

“Hmm?” The Doctor looked up, puzzled. “I’ve never heard of that.”

“Well,” Fitz ducked his head, abashed. “It’s something like…two people are connected a string that’s tie around their fingers, and that means they’re soulmates. The string gets tangled, but it doesn’t break.”

“I suppose they are a bit similar,” the Doctor said thoughtfully, lifting the thread out of the box. It was delicate, and they had to be careful not to snap it. “Here, give me your hand.”

Fitz hesitated slightly, than held it out. The Doctor took it in their own, noticing how small their hand looked against his, slowly linking their fingers together one by one. They wound the thread around their wrists, the red bright against pale skin.

The room suddenly seemed very small, as if there was no space between them and Fitz. The Doctor didn’t really mind. They liked the silence and the stillness, the feeling of closeness. The air felt heavy, like time had slowed down for this quiet moment, where the only important thing was to breathe. A bit of infinity in a second.

The spell was broken by a sudden chiming noise, the red thread blinking out of existence. The Doctor looked at Fitz and blinked. He shrugged in response. The doors swung open again.

“Well, the ceremony appears to be other,” the Doctor said a bit obviously. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“No,” Fitz admitted. “It was…nice, actually. Especially the – the kiss.” He stammered, turning bright red again.

The Doctor laughed, filled with a wealth of affection. “Oh, you liked that, did you?” They said teasingly, enjoying the look on Fitz’s face. He really did look adorable when he was flustered.

“Just a little,” Fitz mumbled.

The Doctor shook their head, smiling. “Come here, then.” They tugged on the front of Fitz’s robe, bringing him closer and kissing him again. It really was nice, the Doctor decided.

“Ahem.” An amused voice sounded from the doorway. “Now that you two are properly married, can we get off this planet?”

“Ah, yes, good idea,” the Doctor replied, feeling their own face flush a bit. Anji smirked and raised an eyebrow at them, causing Fitz to turn even redder than before. “Let’s go.” They got to their feet, slipping their hand into Fitz’s when he stood up.

“The red string of fate…” The Doctor said quietly. “Hmm.”

“What was that?” Anji paused, glancing back at them, her smile growing even wider when she saw they were holding hands.

“Oh, nothing,” the Doctor responded. “I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Soulmates.”


End file.
